Nebraska Woman Finds Turbo Tax Security Hole

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Nebraska Woman Finds Turbo Tax Security Hole

A Nebraska woman found a hole in Turbo Tax's online software that let her access the returns of people with similiar names to her own, and reported it to Turbo Tax, which called the hole a "quirk" and have since removed the offending 'feature,' according to KDSK.com news.

A Turbo Tax customer herself, Jennifer attempted to access some past filings and the route she took online opened returns for several others with the same last name, but different first initials.

For security reasons, we're not revealing the common last name or how Jennifer inadvertently gained access to three other Turbo Tax accounts.

She was able to access tax returns for three turbo tax customers she never met in different parts of the country. There on her screen was everything needed for electronic filing from bank account to routing digits and of course social security numbers.

The woman's mistake was not that she didn't use the information for nefarious purposes, it's that she should have immediately set up shop as a 'security expert,' blogged about the enormity of the hole and rode the tide of trackbacks to consultant fortune and DefCon fame.